Neuroepigenetic mechanisms in disease

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Michael A. Christopher, Emory University; Stephanie M. Kyle, Emory University; David J Katz, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2017-10-16
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2017 The Author(s).
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13072-017-0150-4
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Epigenetics and Chromatin
• ISSN: 1756-8935
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 47
• End Page: 47
• Grant/Funding Information: SMK was supported by the Emory CND training grant (T32NS007480).; This work was supported by a grant to DJK from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (1R01NS087142).; MAC was supported by the Emory GMB training grant (T32GM008490).
• Keywords: Science & Technology; MEMORY FORMATION; NERVOUS-SYSTEM; FMR1; Fragile X syndrome; Genetics & Heredity; MECP2; SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY; LSD1/KDM1A; GENE-EXPRESSION; Rett syndrome; DNA methylation; TRANSCRIPTIONAL REPRESSION; DNA METHYLATION LANDSCAPE; Histone modification; FRAGILE-X-SYNDROME; HISTONE DEACETYLASE COMPLEX; Neuroepigenetics; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Alzheimer's disease; BINDING PROTEIN; FAMILIAL ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE
• Research Categories: Biology, General; Biology, Molecular; Biology, Cell

Abstract

Epigenetics allows for the inheritance of information in cellular lineages during differentiation, independent of changes to the underlying genetic sequence. This raises the question of whether epigenetic mechanisms also function in post-mitotic neurons. During the long life of the neuron, fluctuations in gene expression allow the cell to pass through stages of differentiation, modulate synaptic activity in response to environmental cues, and fortify the cell through age-related neuroprotective pathways. Emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modification permit these dynamic changes in gene expression throughout the life of a neuron. Accordingly, recent studies have revealed the vital importance of epigenetic players in the central nervous system and during neurodegeneration. Here, we provide a review of several of these recent findings, highlighting novel functions for epigenetics in the fields of Rett syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and Alzheimer's disease research. Together, these discoveries underscore the vital importance of epigenetics in human neurological disorders.